Sashalus
Small Plant Hit Dice: 2d8+2 (11 hp) Initiative: +1 (Dex) Speed: 10 ft AC: 14 (+1 size, +1 Dex, +2 natural) Attacks:1-4 Spines +3 ranged Damage: Spines 1d4+1 plus poison Face/Reach: 5 ft by 5 ft/0 ft Special Attacks: Poison spines, acid Special Qualities: Darkvision 20 ft, tremorsense, plant Saves: Fort +4, Ref +1, Will +1 Abilities: Str 8, Dex 12, Con 12, Int 7, Wis 12, Cha 10 Skills: Balance +5, Climb +3, Hide +5, Spot +5 Feats: Climate: Temperate and warm forest, marsh, and underground Organization: Solitary Challenge Rating: 01 Treasure: Standard Alignment: Always neutral Advancement: 3-4 HD (Small), 5-6 HD (Medium-size) The sashalus is a sentient, mobile fungus that feeds on creatures of all sorts. These solitary carnivores wander widely for hunting, selecting the best ambush spots to wait in for prey. It will eat anything that moves, but it attacks only those creatures that it judges it can overcome. This crafty hunter knows to relocate away from corpses, and arrange treasure to lure prey. This curious-looking fungus is usually about 3-4 feet tall. Its mushroom or puffball "head" is pocked with many oval depressions, and is white in color with white or brown mottling on it. This "head" is actually a large gas-bladder that rises on a stalk from grassy roots that are actually many tan to gray rubbery-skinned tendrils projecting from a spine-ringed base. The spines at the base are nearly 6 foot-long thorns, and are produced in an interior organ at the base of a sashalus's stalk. The sashalus produces pressurized gases in the large bladder with which it fires its spines. A sashalus can detect prey with its weak darkvision and with vibratory sensations from its tendrils. It has 10-30 eyes studded all about its head, and a ring of 8-19 eyes around its base (each located between two of its rings of bristling spines). Although slow, this creature is surprisingly nimble and can even climb low walls and trees, right itself if overturned, squeeze through narrow cracks, and so on. If it needs to hide, it can shut its eyes at will, and curl or contort its body to blend in with stumps, tangled vegetation, shriekers, and other similar vegetation. A sashalus only communicates with other sashalus by a limited touch-based telepathy, by which they exchange feelings, directions, and mental images. Sashalus usually live for up to 30 years. COMBAT The sashalus is not a combat-oriented creature, and prefers eating immobilized prey. It will attack faster-moving or formidable prey by shooting its spines at a range of 60 feet. A sashalus can fire 1-4 spines per round, at different targets if necessary, shooting as many as it feels necessary for self-defense or to bring about a successful kill. A sashalus may have 1d10+7 spines and can regenerate two every 24 hours. If its prey is small, disabled, helpless or sleeping, the sashalus will begin to dissolve it with its acid for food. This acid absorbs all organic nutrients, including spines stuck in a creature, leaving only bones and metal as remains of a victim. When it approaches suitable prey, it opens its sucker-like mouths on the underside of its tendrils. These tendrils then exude a highly corrosive acid that dissolves the creature into a thick fluid, which the sashalus then absorbs through its own skin; this feeding takes roughly 15 minutes for a medium-sized creature. Poison spines (Ex): The sashalus' spines contain an injected form of poisonous liquid that causes a variety of maladies when it reacts with the bloodstream of a living creature. Slow poison and neutralize poison spells have normal effect on sashalus spine-fluid. This liquid reacts with air to become useless within 1-2 days after the spine leaves the body of the sashalus. Alchemists have not yet synthesized this substance. Sashalus Poison: Inject, Fort Save DC 12. Initial damage: none; secondary damage: random effect, roll 1d20 on the table below: * 1-4 Unconsciousness occurs at the end of the round, lasting for 1-6 minutes. * 5-13 The victim is confused (as the spell) for 1-3 minutes. With a successful Fort save, this effect lasts for 1-2 rounds instead. * 14-16 The victim is wracked with convulsions and nausea (-3 on dexterity checks, making spellcasting impossible without a Concentration check, and -2 on strength) for 1-2 minutes. * 17-20 The victim suffers chills, dizziness, and nausea (-1 on dexterity, temporary loss of 1-2 hp) for 4-9 rounds. Acid (Ex): A sashalus' tendrils exude a highly corrosive acid that causes 2d4 points of acid damage per round to all organic matter except for sashalus flesh. This acid dissolves all flesh and organ tissues, neutralizing natural or carried poisons. Plant: Immune to mind-influencing effects, poison, sleep, paralysis, stunning, and polymorphing. Not subject to critical hits. Skills: A sashalus receives a +4 racial bonus to Spot, Balance, Hide, and Climb checks. Category:Plants